Sustainable Waste Management and Agroecology in Siem Reap

The mostly rural district of Sotr Nikom, in Siem Reap province, has a population of 111,000 and significant prospects for economic development. This district is estimated to produce 54 tons of waste daily; however, solid waste collection is relatively new, with services provided by CINTRI only since late 2019. These services were legally and formally contracted in 2020 by the district authority’s Department of Agriculture, National Resources and Environment, which has limited staffing and budget to oversee their mandate of managing urban solid waste management (SWM).

CINTRI’s current service route covers only the central district Dam Daek commune, where the district’s largest local market is located and more than one ton of organic waste is discarded daily. It is here where the farmers of the agricultural cooperative Ecofarm, which has been supported by GRET’s APICI project for over 10 years, sell safe fruits and vegetables cultivated following agroecological principles.

The demand for safe foods, large quantities of organic waste, and improved solid waste services presents an opportunity to explore recovery and transformation of organic waste into compost, which can in turn increase farmers’ production to meet the demand.

It is in this framework that GRET, Ecofarm, and the waste management stakeholders of Sotr Nikom district are bringing together SWM expertise, vermicomposting technologies, and agricultural knowledge to collaborate on the first pilot phase of the SMART Siem Reap project.

Prospects

It is expected that all 111,000 inhabitants of Sotr Nikom will benefit indirectly from the project via improved waste management services in Dom Daek, as well as from the strengthening of the capacity of the district authorities to ensure sustainability of service management. Similarly, farmers from Ecofarm and other cooperatives, as purchasers of the compost marketed by Ecofarm, will benefit from the project. It is possible the compost may reach a wider clientele of indirect beneficiaries, which will be assessed at the end of the project.

Project objectives

Optimize the waste collection and recovery chain.
Improve vermicomposting practices in Sotr Nikom.
Promote compost to farmers as a valuable resource.

Expected results

The pilot vermicomposting unit is designed, constructed, and in operation.
The source separation system for organic waste is designed and implemented at the Dam Daek market.
Local authorities in charge of SWM are trained and sensitized to sustainable waste management.
The rate of coverage of the operating expenses of the composting unit is 50% at the end of the project.
At least 20% of the organic waste generated in the Dam Daek market is sorted at source at the end of the project.
The waste producers at Dam Daek market (100%) are made aware of the use of the dumpsters for sorting waste.
Awareness kits on waste recovery and ecology are designed, tested and used by the municipality and the operator.
Compost quality is confirmed through laboratory and field tests.
At the end of the project, the operator sells at least 70% of the compost produced.